In this chapter, we explain how prevent burning out by taking care of yourself and others. We discuss group wellbeing, action wellbeing and self-help.

🆘 Need help now? Check out Wellbeing Hotlines

Introduction #

Being an activist can be rewarding, but also challenging and stressful. You may face many pressures and risks, such as burnout, trauma, harassment, or violence. That's why it's important to take care of your wellbeing and mental health, not only for yourself, but also for your cause and your community. In this guide, we will share some tips and resources on how to practice self-care, cope with stress, and seek support when you need it. We hope this guide will help you to stay healthy, resilient, and effective in your activism.

Group wellbeing #

Articles about wellbeing practices that you can implement as a group:

• 👉 Basics of group wellbeing

• ✋ Sexual harassment inside your group

• 🏳️‍🌈 Health marginalised activists

Action wellbeing #

Articles about wellbeing practices that you can implement during your actions:

• 👉 Basics of action wellbeing

• 🩺 Riot medicine

• ☮️ De-escalation

Self-help #

Articles for individuals that want to take care of their own wellbeing:

• 👉 Basics of self-help

• ⚠️ Don't Panic guide: for if you need urgent help right now, also check out our wellbeing hotlines

• ⏰ Time Management

Special publications #

Articles that have been written to cover special issues that are currently relevant (also make sure to check out campaigns that we support):

• 😔 Activist burnout (should be merged with Anxiety & Stress)

• 😷 Activism during a pandemic

• 💚 Wellbeing climate activists

Local context #

Activists who work for social change often face challenges and risks that can affect their wellbeing. However, the local context across countries can also impact how activists cope with these challenges and access support. Some of the factors that can influence the wellbeing of activists in different contexts are:

• The political and legal environment: Activists may face different levels of repression, censorship, surveillance, harassment, intimidation, or violence from the state or other actors depending on the country they operate in. This can create a climate of fear, stress, and insecurity that can undermine their mental and physical health. Activists may also have different degrees of freedom and protection to express their views, organize, mobilize, or access justice and legal aid.

• The social and cultural norms: Activists may encounter different expectations, values, beliefs, or stereotypes from their families, communities, or society at large depending on the country they live in. This can affect their sense of identity, belonging, or acceptance as well as their relationships and social support networks. Activists may also face different forms of discrimination, stigma, or marginalization based on their gender, sexuality, ethnicity, religion, or other aspects of their identity or work.

• The availability and accessibility of resources: Activists may have different opportunities and challenges to access resources that can enhance their wellbeing depending on the country they work in. This can include financial resources, such as funding, grants, or donations; material resources, such as equipment, tools, or infrastructure; human resources, such as staff, volunteers, or allies; and informational resources, such as data, evidence, or knowledge. Activists may also have different options and barriers to access services that can support their wellbeing, such as health care, education, counseling, or therapy.

• The diversity and solidarity of the activist community: Activists may have different experiences of working with other activists within or across movements depending on the country they collaborate in. This can affect their sense of solidarity, trust, cooperation, or learning as well as their exposure to conflicts, tensions, or competition. Activists may also have different levels of diversity and inclusion within their movements based on the representation and participation of different groups and perspectives.

These factors can shape how activists perceive and respond to the challenges and risks they face as well as the strategies and practices they adopt to take care of their wellbeing. Therefore, it is important to understand and respect the local context across countries when supporting activists' wellbeing and to tailor the support according to their specific needs and realities.

Q&A #

Why is wellbeing important? #

This chapter is meant as a guide on how to safeguard the wellbeing of activists. In the process of trying to make a change, you might forget about your own wellbeing. You will learn how why the wellbeing of you and your fellow change-makers is vital for the long term effectiveness of your movement.

Many activists struggle with their mental and physical health, or see how the wellbeing of fellow change-makers is affected by activism. You might experience stress because you feel your contributions do not create any significant change. You might feel disappointed with yourself for not doing enough, or you feel helpless because others are not doing enough. You might fear being infiltrated by police or oppositional activists groups, and are not sure anymore who to trust.

This chapter is about acknowledging those difficulties and providing help for those who need it. In addition, we will talk about how to prevent mental and physical health issues. As so well put by Håkan Geijer: “Be gentle with each other so we can be dangerous together.”

Improve this page #

You can contribute: Whatever your experiences as activist are, they are valid and deserve to be heard. We want to provide the opportunity for people all over the world to share exchange their experiences. This way we can learn from each other and find comfort in our welcoming community.

Please make sure to treat each other with respect and dignity. You are free to share your experiences anonymously, if that makes you feel more comfortable. Find out more about how to contribute.

Focus #

• Write about topics that lots of people have questions about:

  • eco/climate anxiety, climate depression

  • activist burnout

  • activism fatigue

• Collect the most valuable resources on climate anxiety

• Topics not covered a lot yet: Culture, Spirituality, Community

• Make wellbeing guides more science-based (perhaps interview psychologists that have experience with activism?)

Search keywords #

*According to Semrush

External resources #

• Google Drive: Collection of mental health resources by Activist Handbook

• Wellbeing and regenerative culture by Extinction Rebellion

• Impacts of activism on health and wellbeing by The Commons

• 10 Great Resources on Activist Wellbeing by The Commons

• Thriving Activist Toolkit by Center for the Advancement of Well-Being

• Support & recovery by Code Rood

• Consent Advocacy by Extinction Rebellion

• Collection of articles on mental health by FYEG [Archived version]

• Trauma Informed Design by TID

• Wellbeing by The Commons Social Change Library

• Beginner’s Guide to Self-Care for Activists from LiveYourDream.org.

• Self-Care and Sustaining Activism: Infographic from Global Fund for Women.

• 5 Self-Care Tips for Activists by Kim Tran

• Tips for Self-Care as an Activist from Direct Action Everywhere

• Self-Care for Activists by Upsana Barath

• Mapping Our Social Change Roles in a Time of Crisis by Deepa Iyer.

• Self-care workbook from Frontline AIDS et al.

• Personal ecology self-assessment kit from Mozilla.

• How Organizations and Leaders Can Support Community Self-Care from Network Weaver

• De-escalation Training Workshop by Extinction Rebellion [Video]

• A Resource for Activists Working Through Trauma by Roots of Change Collective

• Holding Our Groups Together in Hard Times by Holly Hammond

• Collection: Wellbeing by ILGA-Europe Hub

• How to Give Psychological First Aid (PFA) by ILGA-Europe Hub

• Wellbeing during COVID-19 by ILGA-Europe Hub

• Plan to Thrive (Twitter): Activist doctors

Spirituality and Community Building #

• Enhancing Cultural Competence

• Overview: Some Spiritual Assets for Community Building

• Being Compassionate

• Being Charitable Towards Others

• Forgiveness and Reconciliation

• Promoting Peace

• Spreading Hope

• Promoting Hospitality as a Way of Life

• Mindfulness and Community Building

• Gratitude and Appreciation

• Mercy

Diversity & inclusivity #

• Understanding Culture and Diversity in Building Communities

• Building Relationships with People from Different Cultures

• Healing from the Effects of Internalized Oppression

• Strategies and Activities for Reducing Racial Prejudice and Racism

• Learning to be an Ally for People from Diverse Groups and Backgrounds

• Creating Opportunities for Members of Groups to Identify Their Similarities, Differences, and Assets

• Building Culturally Competent Organizations

• Multicultural Collaboration

• Transforming Conflicts in Diverse Communities

• Understanding Culture, Social Organization, and Leadership to Enhance Engagement

• Building Inclusive Communities

• Power Dynamics and Inclusivity in Virtual Meetings by Evelyn Arellano

• Justice, Diversity and Inclusion: Start Here

• Why North-South Intersectionality Matters for Climate Justice